Make Believe
by Steph Malfoy
Summary: When Amy meets Ty, he is nothing like the guys she knows. He is everything her parents would hate. But maybe he’s exactly what she needs AU
1. Prologue

**Authors Note **

Yes I know, I know! You're probably saying: Gee, Steph Malfoy, another story? You barely update as it is! But I, Steph Malfoy, am here to tell you that I am working very hard on my stories and am trying to get at least one chapter up per week.

That being said, you're still probably wondering why on EARTH I would want to add ANOTHER story to my already very, very full updating plate. To that I just say… well, I can't be faulted for being inspired! And besides, I've had a few chapters of this story written forever, so why not post it?

So here is my new story. It will be AWESOME, I CAN promise you that. I know the prologue is ridiculously short but it is just the prologue. If it gets a positive response I'll update again very soon… since I already have the chapter prepared (shocker, I know).

Enjoy and please review!

Steph

**Summary: **Amy Fleming is seventeen and living the glamorous life of the daughter of two world class equestrians. Since before she can remember, her whole life has been about what her parents want. The only thing she knows is Rising Pines Farms. Ty Baldwin is a twenty-year-old without a high school diploma. All he has is his job at Heartland, the rehabilitation center for horses. When Amy meets Ty, he is nothing like the guys she knows. He is everything her parents would hate. But maybe he's exactly what sheneeds.

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**Make Believe**

**Prologue **

My life has always been planned for me. Laid out perfectly. Each choice planned for me, immaculate and with zero room for error. Just like the next expensive riding outfit spread out on my bed—black breeches, sky blue pinstriped buttoned shirt and black high socks. No wrinkles. No stains. Nothing out of its place. Zero error.

It made me sick. But aside from putting on my next preselected riding outfit, there was nothing I could do about it.

Every day I would come home to that big, hollow house and there was always something there to remind me that this wasn't my life I was living. It was my mother's life; the life she'd chosen for me. Everything I did was because she'd given her approval. The fancy school I went to, the food I ate, the clothes I wore, the people that called me 'friend'… they were all hand selected by her.

But if I thought about it, that wasn't really the sick part of it all. The sick part was that I didn't know who I'd be if she let me go. I didn't even know who I wanted to be. Sometimes I liked to turn on my music and imagine who I would be. But that girl changed all the time. She was only fleeting. She always came back to be me at the end.

All I wanted was a chance to be someone else.

But… _who_?

Even if I could be anyone… I didn't know who I would want to be. And as bad as I wanted it, I didn't know how to be her.

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**a/n: **so? Reviews make me a happy authoress… hint-hint. I'll post the next chapter soon! -Steph


	2. Chapter 1

**Authors Note**

Thanks for all the positive response for the prologue! They all made me very happy. So here's the next chapter… keep the reviews coming!!

Oh and I'll be posting pictures of the horses/Heartland/Rising Pines/clothes/cars/ect on my profile! Check them out; I've spent a lot of time finding the perfect pictures of everything!!

Steph

**Disclaimer: **I didn't own Heartland on my last zillion stories…. Do you really think I own it NOW? Right, didn't think so. All I own is the plot of this story… Though I wish I owned Ty…

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**Make Believe**

**Chapter 1**

I remember the first time I saw him.

I was late coming home from school. There had been roadwork on my usual route and I'd gotten caught in the middle of the traffic. I was supposed to be training with mother at 3:30 and the clock kept ticking closer until it had passed the mark. When I got home, I drove as fast I dared through the front gates, up the driveway and to the garage. I ran as fast as I could into the house, across the marble foyer and entrance way and up the spiraling staircase. Once I was closed in my room I took a deep breath and slowed down. I was already late… another couple of minutes wouldn't make it any worse.

I tossed my schoolbag on the floor of the pristine white carpet. It gave me a small amount of satisfaction every day to just see _one thing_ out of place in my bedroom. Everything was so perfect… so _white_. The only color was the navy and light blue bed set on the bed and the pillows scattered along the bay window seat. And of course the ribbons that were hung neatly along the wall… but those were all blue too. Blue was like my mother's purple. She called it "the color of winners… of royalty".

I quickly discarded my school uniform and stepped into the clothes the maid had already set out for me. My face burned with shame every time I pulled them on. But I kept putting them on. The black breeches were the first. I turned to look in the mirror as I buttoned up the shirt and fastened the high collar. I tucked the shirt into the breeches and pulled my hair into a loose ponytail as I walked back down the stairs. By the back door I pulled on the spotless high boots and zippered up the navy protective vest. I grabbed the helmet from the cubby marked with my name and pulled it on my head as I slipped out the backdoor and hurried down to the stables.

The yard was still bustling as I tore across the gravel paths, dodging workers with wheelbarrows and pristinely dressed riders alike. I made it past the two large stable blocks that housed all the boarders before finally making it to the stable that kept all my families' personal horses. This barn was easily the finest of all on Rising Pines—though that is certainly not to say that they weren't all first class. Because they certainly were. Fire suppression systems, fly-control, fans, security cameras, motion detectors… Sometimes I wished for the quaint little structures that were always on the movies… red with a white 'X' maybe. That just seemed so much more classic than the towering stone structures we had at Rising Pines.

My family's private barn alone held twelve horses. A circular driveway ran in front of it, under my mother's office. On the inside, chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, illuminating the large stalls of rich, dark wood and above each stall there two old styled lanterns. I had always felt that the stalls seemed too much like prisons. They were elegant sure, but the horses inside could only look out over their stalls through a parting in the bars. Each stall also had a wooden door built into the back and on nice days that window would be open as well. Otherwise it was just looking through bars, dim lighting, and no contact with the horses on either side.

I was gasping for breath by the time I skidded through the barns open wooden doors but didn't stop until I'd reached Bucephalus's stall. I tripped on the cobble stone floor and just barely caught myself on the bars of the stall. Bucephalus swung his great black head in my direction as I thudded against the stall door. He gave me a look as if to remind me how late I was before dropping his head back down to the hay pile in the feeder on the side of the stall.

"Gee, nice to see you too, Ceph," I grumbled as I straightened myself up. Ceph just swished his tail in irritation.

With a sigh, I opened the door to the small tack room on the side of Ceph's stall. Each stall in the barn had its own attached tack room. Ceph's saddles and bridles hung on the wall, his blankets and warps stored away in a trunk, grooming equipment and other various horse-related items stored neatly on the shelves.

I exited the small tack room with my arms full of tack.

"You're late."

My mother was standing by Ceph's stall with her hands on her hips and her lips pursed. She was not happy.

"Sorry," I said as I carefully placed my saddle and bridle on their respective racks. "There was roadwork and then the traffic was—"

"Make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Yeah, okay," I said slowly. _It wasn't like I could control the traffic or anything_, I thought as I led Ceph out of his stall and clipped him to the crossties. "Sorry," I said again as I quickly ran a brush over Ceph's jet black coat.

Mom scratched the white star on Ceph's head, her stern expression softening somewhat. She had always been better at dealing with horses than people. Especially her daughters. Sometimes it was like I was only another business investment for Rising Pines.

"Ashley and Ben have been waiting for you," she said briskly, looking at me once again as I smoothed the saddle pad down over Ceph's withers. "I want you all to go on the trails today. Give the horses a break, no jumping; they all did well at Rockwell yesterday."

It killed me every time she didn't acknowledge the success of the riders with their horses.

"Yeah, sure," I just said as I stood on tiptoe to settle the saddle on Ceph's back.

"No jumping," she reminded me sternly. I nodded and then she walked off, her immaculate books tapping down the hall.

"Hear that, Ceph?" I whispered in my horse's ear as I buckled up his bridle. His ear flickered towards me. "No jumping." Ceph snorted and I snickered.

As I was straightening out the saddle pad, Ceph stretched his neck out and nibbled at the two blue ribbons hanging from the bars on his stall.

I tapped his neck to get his attention and he swung his head around in my direction. "Mother would not be pleased to see you trying to eat the blue," I told him seriously. He nipped my shoulder. I flicked his muzzle and he jerked his head up in surprise. I laughed and Ceph dropped his head back down and fixed his big, black eyes on me.

"All right, I know" I sighed as I unclipped the crossties and let them fall back to the walls. "Let's do this, Bud." I led Ceph out of the barn and quickly mounted after fastening the buckle on my helmet. I stretched my legs straight down, picked the reins up loosely and nudged him forwards.

If there was one thing in my life that I was thankful for, it was Buchephalus. The 16.3 hand, black, pure breed Hanoverian gelding was perfect. He was all muscle, had smooth paces, a strong jump, he was sure footed and affectionate. He was a present from my parents. Of course he was perfect. Nothing short of perfection set foot within my families stables. Ceph earned his keep too, which was another must at Rising Pines. But I didn't care about his pedigree or about how much we won at shows. I loved Ceph because I could relax when I rode him. Ceph was my best friend, I could tell him anything and he always listened. He never judged or told me what to do like everyone else did.

I rode down the hill and past the two other barns. I looked around, taking in the stone buildings, world class horses and towering pine trees around me for the hundredth time that day alone. Rising Pines Equestrian Center was a beautiful place. Maybe I would like it better if it wasn't my home.

"Finally!"

I looked up as a voice called out to me. Ashley Grant and Ben Stillman were waiting for me on the grass in front of the paddocks across the driveway from the larger of two boarder barns. Ashley was astride her big bay jumper Bright Magic and Ben was on Red, the big chestnut that looked almost red in the late afternoon sun.

I waved at my two friends and trotted Ceph over to them. Ceph whinnied at his two horsey friends and picked his feet up in a floating trot.

"We thought you were _never _going to make it!" Ashley joked as I neared them.

"Neither did I. I thought mom was going to bite my head off," I rolled my eyes.

They both laughed, knowing it was all too true. They'd each experienced Marion at her best as well. As their trainer, my mother found it her duty to control every aspect of my friends riding schedules.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Ben asked.

"We're to hit the trails… no jumping though," I grinned.

"So the cross-country course then?" Ben winked.

"Naturally."

"Let's go then," Ashley said eagerly. "Brightie has been wanting to do some cross country for ages."

I slipped my feet into the stirrups and nudged Ceph to follow Ashley and Ben. We passed in front of the paddocks, and rode onto the slopping meadow that led off into the towering pine trees of the forest that bordered that whole farm.

I squeezed my legs lightly around Ceph and he jumped forwards into a smooth, rocking canter. We passed through the space between Red and Bright Magic, sending the two horses prancing to the sides in surprise. I laughed aloud as Ceph's canter carried us easily over the ground.

"Race you to the trail!" I shouted over my shoulder.

The thundering of hooves behind me told me that Ashley and Ben were in hot pursuit. I pushed Ceph to go faster and he did so with very little urging. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ashley and Ben coming up on either side of me. Along the nearby paddock fence, the two horses inside galloped along besides us. I laughed again. This is what I loved about riding. Not the ribbons or the trophies… just _this_: galloping with the wind in my face, my two best friends riding with me. Not riding for any other reason than fun.

I gave Ceph more of the reins and he stretched his neck forwards eagerly. His pace lengthened and we left Ashley and Ben in the distance as we flew across the meadow. All too soon, the trees were looming larger in front of me. I pulled Ceph to a halt. He pranced in place, lifting his hooves high and arching into the bit.

"Easy, Ceph," I murmured, running a hand down his neck to soothe him. His prancing stilled but he chomped on the bit, clearly telling me that he was ready to run some more.

"Well finally!" I teased as Ashley and Ben pulled their mounts up next to me. "It took you long enough."

"That horse is a beast," Ashley said as she flicked her long, blond hair over her shoulder.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around Ceph's neck, grinning up at Ashley. "He's no beast, he's ma bay-be!"

Ashley leaned forwards on Bright Magic's neck and pushed his ears forwards. "Brightie will eat you," she said in a high pitched voice as she waggled the poor horse's ears back and forth. We looked at each other and collapsed in giggles on our horses' necks.

"Someone please remind me why I'm friends with you two," Ben groaned, dropping his face into his hands.

Ashley straightened up and smirked at me. "I think the real question is why two hotties such as ourselves hang out with _you_. Right, Ames?" she winked one of her light green eyes at me.

"Well all royalty needs a court jester, Ash."

"Right you are, my dear," Ashley said, a grin spreading across her face. "And we picked the perfect one."

I hmmm'd my agreement.

Ben sighed and tilted his head back to look up at the clear sky. "Ha-ha-ha, very funny."

"Oh, you know we love you, Benjamin dearest," I smiled brightly at him.

Ben peered at us from underneath the bill of riding helmet. "Sometimes I wonder if you love me for me, or if it's all for my rakish good lucks and my man Red."

"Oh it's definitely the horse," Ashley said.

"Yeah, he's one fine, sexy piece of horse flesh."

Ben stuck his tongue out at us. "Well he totally blows Bucephalusout of the water… what kind of name is _Bucephalus _anyways?"

"Hey!" I exclaimed in mock outrage and leaned forwards to cover Ceph's ears lovingly. "Cephie can hear you, you know… he's very sensitive," I pouted. "And it's a good name for a beautiful boy like my Ceph; isn't that right, honey?" I cooed as I stroked the tips of my fingers along his cheek. Ceph bobbed his head beneath my fingers. I sat up in my saddle before I slipped right over his neck.

"And who names a horse after a color?" I looked up at Ben, hands on my hips. "That's so… _lame_."

"At least it's not constantly being mispronounced at shows," Ben said with a wink. "And at least _I _didn't name my horse after the Grand Canyon donkey." He shot a look at Ashley.

"What the hell are you talking about, Ben?"

"You know," Ben said, gesturing with his hands as though it would help get his point across. "There's that donkey named Brightie or something that had something to do with the Grand Canyon… it was like… you know," he said again.

"I can honestly say that I don't," Ashley said. She looked at me and I shrugged, I was as lost to Ben's logic as she was.

Ben opened his mouth, undoubtedly to continue to attempt to defend himself, but Ashley cut him off before he could begin. "Can we just go on this ride?"

"Let's," I agreed. "But let's go the back way… you know, through the woods." It was getting rather hot out in the sun and my long sleeved, high collared shirt was near suffocating.

"Oh, I love that trail," Ashley quickly agreed.

I picked up Ceph's reins again and turned him in the direction of the trail. Ashley followed after me and Ben brought up the rear. The trees towered above the trail, giving it a shady cover. We rode in silence, the only noises coming from the chirping birds and the leaves of the trees.

As big as the trees were, they seemed suffocating to me. Everywhere I looked it was pines, pines, and more pines. Rising Pines. Rising Pines. More Rising Pines. I knew I was lucky to be able to call a place like Rising Pines my home… but sometimes I just wished for a normal house and parents who we're sometimes around and didn't have such high maintenance jobs. I loved horseback riding and everything about horses, I really did. But with the pressure to perform as I rose on the show circuit increased, I'd begun to resent it at times as well. There was nothing like a good trail ride through the woods, gallop through the meadow, or flight over the cross-country course to make me remember just _why_ I loved it so much.

I ran my fingers through Ceph's silky mane. I took a deep breath in through my mouth and let it out through my nose. The sounds of the forest and the sound of Ceph's hooves clopping along the dirt path relaxed me.

"I'm going to canter," I called back to Ben and Ashley before I pushed Ceph forwards.

Ceph's canter was rocking and it relaxed me even more. The sound of hooves on the trail echoed around me. We turned around a bend in the trail and I saw a fallen tree lying across the path in front of us. Ceph's ears pricked forwards eagerly when he saw it.

"Tree on the path!" I shouted back to my two friends before shortening my reins and sitting deep in the saddle.

I pulled Ceph back to shorten his stride as we neared the tree—no job for an amateur. _3… 2… 1, _I counted in my head before sliding my hands up Ceph's neck. Ceph pushed off the ground with his hind legs and tucked his forelegs in neatly as he flew over the jump with easily a foot to spare. Ceph added a small buck at the end for good measure. I let him take several more leaping strides before pulling him back up, taking my time in getting him back down to a walk.

We were still trotting when the trail ended and opened up to a large clearing. I quickly pulled Celph down to a halt and looked around. It was just a clearing, surrounded on all sides by sweeping pines and other tress. In the center though, there was a course of well weathered jumps set up. They weren't fancy or flashy like the ones we had at Rising Pines, but I suppose the chipped paint and rough, weathered wood of these jumps made them look like they were a part of the forest.

I didn't notice Ben and Ashley come up on either side of me until Ben said, "Well this sure isn't the cross-country course…"

"I guess we took a wrong turn at some point," I said.

"Way to be a good leader, Amy," Ben chuckled.

"What is this place?" Ashley's voice was curious as she moved Bright Magic moved further into the clearing.

"I don't know," I said. "I've never seen it before."

Ashley turned Bright Magic around to face Ben and I. "Maybe it's part of that weird horse therapy barn?" she suggested.

"Maybe," I said, trying to think of the name of the small barn that shared the woods with us.

"Well whosever it is," Ben said, following Ashley into the clearing, "they're not here right now and I don't think they'd mind if we used their course."

"Yeah," Ashley agreed. "And sense I doubt we'll make it to the cross-country field today, I vote we have our own little jump-off here."

"Jump-off?" I repeated amusedly. I trotted Ceph into the field, stopping by a low gate with a flower box in front of it. There were several graying, faux flowers stuck in the dirt along with a grimy water bottle and a pair of work gloves.

"Yes, a jump off," Ashley said very matter-o-factly. "We each get to design a course and whoever can complete theirs in the least amount of time wins."

"What do we win?" Ben asked.

Ashley shrugged. "Eternal bragging rights," she said.

"Bring it on!" Ben whooped.

"Okay, so for the rules," I said. "You have to include all the jumps…"

"And any knocked poles equal immediate disqualification," Ashley added.

I nodded and looked around at the jumps again. None were over two and a half feet. This was child's play for Bucephalus. "And the jumps stay at their current height," I added evilly.

"Red can do this in his sleep!" Ben exclaimed in glee. "Bring your worst, ladies."

"You can go first," Ashley said.

Ben just shrugged and surveyed the jumps.

I looked over the course as well. I ran my fingers over one of standards of the old gate jump I was standing by. Some of the paint flaked off under my fingers. I brushed my hand over my breeches.

There were nine jumps in all, all spread out in a fairly simple pattern. But I daresay Ceph and I could bring some style to this worn down course. Along with the gate and flowers, there was a blue fence, a stone wall, a brick wall, a single pole with an empty water pool beneath it, two cross rails, an oxer made from logs and multicolored poles, and a wooden gate with pine branches stacked in front of it.

Ben and Red flew around the course they'd designed. Red cut through the corners by turning on his agile haunches. Ashley and Bright Magic floated around the jumps next, coming in, much to Ashley's chagrin, five hundredths of a second behind Ben.

Then it was my turn. I trotted Ceph in a wide circle around the jumps, going over my course in my head one last time. I nudged Ceph into a canter and cantered in a circle, preparing to start my course.

"And our final competitor today is Amy Fleming on her horse _Buce-ke-phal-ees_!" Ben thundered in his best, deep voiced imitation of an announcer. He even held his hand up to his face like a microphone.

"Oh my god," I burst out laughing as he purposely butchered Ceph's name. I had to canter another circle before I stopped laughing. "I still can't understand how that dumb announcer was able to get _that _from Ceph's name!" I called over to Ben. Ben just shrugged, remembering that terrible show as well.

Ceph cantered smoothly towards our first jump—the brick wall. Ceph sailed over it, leaving enough room for a second brick wall beneath his hooves. He landed nimbly on the other side and I looked to the right at the oxer and flowered gate in-and-out that I wanted to tackle next. Ceph spun nimbly on his haunches and powered over the next two jumps. I barely even felt it as he leaped over the obstacles in his path. We tackled the pine branch gate with ease. It was only at one of the cross rails that Ceph faltered slightly, probably wondering why on earth I wanted him to jump over something that was barely even there. I squeezed my legs around him and he sailed over the cross rail with miles to spare.

We were approaching the blue fence—our last jump— when I saw a horse and rider approaching the clearing through the trees. I momentarily lost my concentration as I stared. Ceph, sensing my lack of attention, faltered slightly in front of the fence. I refocused my attention on the fence and gave Ceph a hard squeeze. Ceph cleared the jump with a huge leap that I was entirely unprepared for. He grunted as I landed with an "oomf" on his neck.

"She beat you!" Ashley yelled in glee as I eased Ceph back down to a walk.

"I demand a recount!" Ben protested. "The score is too close to call!"

"She beat you by three seconds, you loser."

"I think your cell phone is broken," Ben argued. "I was definitely faster."

As Ashley and Ben squabbled over the timer on her cell phone I looked back at the horse and rider. They had now stopped on the edge of the clearing. The horse was a beautiful blue roan, about 15.2 hands with rich black legs, mane, tail and head. The rest of his body really did look almost blue in the sunlight. His rider looked a little large for the horse, but the horse was stocky and muscular. I wondered fleetingly if it was a mustang.

Then I looked at the rider. He was tall, and from what I could see lean and fit. He was wearing a pair of dirt streaked jeans and well worn boots, with a faded gray t-shirt. He had a battered maroon baseball cap shoved on his head. His hair was dark and medium length from what I could see of it. I couldn't see his eyes or much of his face at all since it was cast into a shadow from his hat. He was looking at me and then at Ben and Ashley. These were probably his jumps and he was probably wondering what we were doing with them.

He didn't say anything or make any movement. He just sat there on his horse and watched us. I stared at him for another second before shivering, completely unnerved by this guy just standing there.

Ben and Ashley had noticed him by this point too and were whispering to each other in low voices.

I turned my back on the guy and took off at a fast canter down the trail after Ben and Ashley. We flew back over the fallen tree and at the bend in the trail I stopped Ceph. I looked over my shoulder at the clearing. The horse was standing in the middle of the jumps as the man pulled on a pair of gloves—the ones from the flower box?

And _that _was the first time I saw him.

**a/n: **W-O-W. I made Ty into SUCH a creeper didn't I? Ah well. What can I say? The pictures for this chapter are on my profile… along with pictures for chapter 2 as well. Just think of them as a teaser, if you will. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of my story!! (that would be a not-so-subtle hint to review!!) --Steph


	3. Chapter 2

**Authors Note **

Sorrysorrysorry… two words: junior year. Not fun. But it's the summer, which doesn't necessarily mean more free time but it does mean less stress and due dates so I'm going to try to do some stuff. Maybe a few one-shots, but SOMETHING!

Anyway, here's the next chapter… pictures are on my profile…. And I spent like a whole DAY finding the perfect Heartland/Rising Pines. No easy feat mind you. So thanks for all the lovely reviews…. Please tell me if you think I messed/mess anything up! I love suggestions to make my writing better!!

Is hoping this chapter proves Ty is NOT creeper-extraordinaire,

Steph

**Disclaimer: **Steph Malfoy does not own anything that is recognizable to Heartland in anyway.

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**Make Believe**

**Chapter 2**

"Lou called me this morning," mom said at the breakfast table the next morning.

I glanced up at her quickly. She was sitting at the head of the table, flipping through a horse magazine. Dad was at the other end of the table reading the newspaper and sipping a big mug of coffee. He looked up at mom when she mentioned my sister but didn't say anything.

"She wanted me to remind you that she'll be here in an hour to pick you up."

I nodded in response, my mouth too full of bagel to speak.

"You should wear that new dress you just got," mom said, still not looking up from her magazine. Dad flipped the page of his newspaper. "I believe Lou has plans to take you out to lunch."

I nodded again. I'd have to wear the dress now. Even though I highly doubted I'd be going anywhere dress worthy with Lou, mom's suggestion was really quite far from a suggestion.

I finished my bagel, folded my napkin on the table and silently left the dining room to go back up to my room. I slipped off the tank top and pajama pants I'd thrown back on after my shower and slipped the dress mom wanted me to wear over my head. The dress was light and loose, perfect for a hot, late spring day such as today was. The dress fell to mid thigh and was simple white cotton, though a look at the obscure name on the tag would clearly point out that is was anything but simple. I slid my feet into a pair of flat, brown thongs that buckled around my ankle. I put on a little bit of eyeliner and pulled my hair out of its ponytail so it fell in flat sheets down my back.

I stepped back and looked at myself in the floor length mirror. I was just barely 5 and a half feet, I was skinny, my hair was too straight and such a dull light brown color, and my eyes were boring gray. I sighed and picked up my large, brown leather bag before heading back down the stairs. I wasn't anywhere near as pretty as Ashley was. With her tall, curvy body, long blond hair and green eyes, she was the object of envy for many a girl at school… including me.

In the entryway, I stopped and listened. The house was silent. Mom and dad had probably already gone back down to the stables. With a sigh, I let myself out of the big front door to wait for Lou. I walked down the paved pathway, across the driveway and continued down the pathway. I sat down on the edge of the fountain to wait.

I ran my fingers through the cool water.

My sister Lou was the black sheep of the Fleming family.

She had been my parents pride and joy once. She was on her way to the top of the dressage circuit and all my parents' hopes and dreams that their showing legacies would continue rested on her shoulders. Lou had been the perfect daughter, and the perfect rider. She practiced every day for hours without complaining, she never second guessed mom or dad's instruction, and she was beautiful. She was everything. But she had been sneaking around with the local vet, Scott Trewin. When she was nineteen, Lou announced she was pregnant and was going to marry the twenty-five year old Scott. My parents had been livid. They told her to have an abortion and pretend like the whole thing had never happened. Lou refused vehemently and the next morning she, along with several suitcases, was gone. She had also taken Pirouette, the priceless bay Hanoverian dressage horse with her, much to my parents chagrin.

Now Lou was twenty-three. She was happily married to Scott and had a baby girl named Georgina. She lived in a small house in the nearby suburbs. I wasn't sure exactly where she worked or what she did, but the last I had heard she was managing a small local barn. She didn't ride competitively anymore… I didn't even know if she still rode at all.

All I knew was that I only ever saw her on major holidays—like Christmas, Thanksgiving and sometimes my birthday. She had been to one of my shows a few months ago. And then last week she called me up and asked if I wanted to spend a day with her. I was stunned. There were probably no two sisters in the world that were farther apart than we were. But I had agreed.

I looked down the driveway in time to see a small, silver Toyota Prius driving through the front gates and up the driveway.

The little Prius pulled to a stop on the driveway across from the fountain. I stared for a minute. I knew it was Lou, but when I thought about the sister I used to know, a Prius was the last car I could picture her ever driving. And it was the last car mom would ever allow to park in front of her house if she was there.

The driver's window rolled down and out popped Lou's head, soft blond curls and all. She smiled and waved enthusiastically.

"Come on, Amy, let's go!"

I got up with a sigh, smoothed down my dress and stepped lightly across the grass to Lou's car. I settled into the faux leather seat carefully and clipped on my seatbelt all without looking at Lou.

The tiny car lurched forwards as Lou tapped on the gas a bit too hard. I braced my hand on the door as we rolled past the house. I glanced at Lou to see her peering up at it with a strange expression on her face. Then the house was behind us and we were through the front gates and driving down the long driveway, endless paddocks dotted with fine horses racing past us.

We reached the main road and Lou pulled out, leaving Rising Pines behind.

"You know," Lou said, glancing in her rearview mirror, "that sign is bigger than my living room."

I looked in the side mirror at the large wooden sign declaring that Rising Pines was a place "Breeding dreams. Breeding winners". It was ostentatious, yes, but my whole life was ostentatious. I was used to it.

"You never miss it?" I fiddled with the leather band around my wrist that read "Bucephalus" on a gold plate.

Lou snorted. "Miss that place? I actually have a life now."

I looked out the window at the thick forest of trees racing by. "Oh?"

Lou snorted, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. "You can't tell me you actually like how they treat you more like a business investment than a daughter."

I bit my lip and shrugged. "I wouldn't run away from it," I said, trying to convince myself that it was the truth.

I don't know if Lou saw through me. She just sighed and glanced at me, her blue eyes big and bright. They were mom's eyes. "Okay, Amy. I didn't ask you to spend the day with me just so we could fight."

"Then why?"

"I feel like I haven't seen you in a while. We're sisters; we should be closer than we are."

"We're nothing alike," I said simply.

"Maybe not," Lou said. She paused to concentrate on turning the Prius down a driveway. "But we're still sisters."

I frowned at the paddocks constructed of old wood passing by.

"Where are we?"

Lou smiled. "_This_," she said as though she were announcing the Queen of England, "is Heartland."

"Heartland," I repeated blankly.

"Yes, Heartland," Lou said again. We drove past a white farm house nestled behind a gathering of trees and continued down the driveway towards a small stable block. "This is where I work," Lou announced.

"You work _here_?" I sniffed before I could stop myself.

Lou for her part did not look offended. She looked proud that she worked at this little farm that had obviously seen better days. I glanced in the paddock we were passing. The horses were old and young, tall and short, fat and skinny. They had knotted manes, dirt covered hooves and spots of mud on their coats.

"I…"

I looked at Lou again, my eyes wide. I was about to ask her what she was thinking working at a place like this, I was going to ask her what mom and dad would say when they found out. But then I really saw her. She wasn't wearing designer clothes; her hair wasn't done in a salon; she manicure, obviously done at home, was badly chipped. She was wearing a pair of denim capris and a billowy white tank top. Her curls were rather limp, not as bouncy as I remembered.

"I see," I said.

"I'm sorry we have to be here," Lou said as she parked her Prius next to an old, rusted pickup. "I just have to make sure one of the horses papers are all in order. It should only take a few minutes." She got out of the car and I followed, my sandaled feet crunching on the gravel.

"Okay…" I said slowly.

Lou pushed her hair out of her eyes and she surveyed the property. She peered at me, squinting in the bright sunlight. I slid my large framed sunglasses back down over my eyes.

"My office is in the front barn," she said, pointing over to the closest of the two light yellow barns. "The indoor arena is over there," she pointed to the right. I barely glanced over. "You can go check out the horses in the back barn if you want."

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

Lou shrugged, already walking off to wherever it was her office was. "I thought you might like to see Pirouette again."

I stared at Lou's back, my mouth gaping open. "Pirouette is _here_?" I burst out, marching off behind Lou.

"Yes," Lou sighed. "Pirouette is here and she is happier and healthier than ever."

"That horse was born to compete!" I exclaimed. "How can you let her live at this place?"

Lou opened the heavy wooden doors of the barn and walked down the aisle. I followed her into the dimly lit barn. However, I stopped in the doorway when the smells and sights of the stable hit my nose and eyes. The aisle was littered with hay and it smelled like what I'd always imagined a barn was supposed to smell like: hay and just pure horse.

"This is what a barn is supposed to be," Lou said, reading my thoughts. She paused in the doorway she'd turned into and looked back at me, frozen in the doorway. She opened her mouth but then closed it with a shake of her head. "Just go to the other barn. Ty or Soraya should be around somewhere so they can tell you a little about what we do here."

Before Lou could disappear into her office I turned and walked out of the barn, letting the doors bang shut behind me.

I looked around. I sighed again before pushing my sunglasses up my nose and walking towards the barn Lou had directed me to. I watched my feet on the gravel carefully. It would not due to ruin my sandals.

The sides of the two barns faced each other and in the area between was a nicely tended for garden. There were several trees, bushes in need of some sheering and bright flowers. Under the largest tree there was a bench, so someone could sit and enjoy the warm day while being tucked away in the shade. Around the little garden the gravel continued in a neat path. What really caught my eye though, was that each stall opened up to the garden. Most of the open windows had a horse's head poked out. The bottom portion of the stall had a light blue 'X'. It was just like I had always wished Rising Pines looked like.

Over one the stalls, a familiar bay head looked in my direction with flickering ears.

With a sigh, I walked closer to Pirouette. When I reached her, I pushed my sunglasses to the top of my head and reached out a hand to let her smell me. She snuffled my palm before nudging against me. I reached up to scratch the swirl of white on her forehead. She leaned into my touch.

"Oh, Pirouette," I sighed as I took in her long, tangled mane. I tried to run my fingers through it but they just got caught on the tangles. "What has she done to you?"

"If I had to say, I'd say that that mare is well taken care of and happy."

I whirled around with a gasp at the male voice behind me.

I froze with my hand on my chest when I saw just who it was standing there. If the tall, lean and muscular body wasn't a dead giveaway, then it was the maroon baseball cap with fraying edges shoved on top of a dark haired head.

It was the man I'd seen when I was riding with Ashley and Ben. And he was here at Heartland. Where Lou worked.

He frowned when he, I assume, recognized me too. "Oh. It's you."

"I…" I stuttered and slipped my sunglasses back down over my eyes, thankful for the dark tint. Pirouette nudged my shoulder but I ignored it, unable to take my eyes off of this man. He had green eyes, I could see now. But they weren't just green. I could only describe them as emerald. I'd never seen eyes like that before.

"I guess I should have known."

I managed to snap myself out of the daze the lull of his voice put me into to say, "What?"

The muscles in his arms flexed as he crossed them over his chest. "You're one of the girls from that monstrosity down the road, right?"

"Excuse me?" my face flushed.

"You want to purchase the land the jumps are on, am I right?" he didn't give me a chance to respond. "I assume you have a very sizeable check from daddy with you." His eyebrows rose.

"I… excuse me?" I repeated.

"I know you're type well enough," he said, moving to stand in front of the gray gelding in the next stall over.

"Oh really?" I demanded, my eyes staying focused on his very nice backside and the way his dark jeans were slung low around his hips.

"Yup." He scratched the gray on the neck.

"I'm sorry," I said, resting my hands on my hips as I faced him. "You don't even know me."

He turned around and leaned back against the stall door. The gray's head popped over his shoulder and he crossed his arms over his chest and one ankle over the other. His green eyes took me in from head to toe and back up again.

"I know the type well enough," he just said again, his eyes glinting as they met mine.

"I'm sure," I snapped. I pushed my hand through my hair in frustration. I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if we were trespassing on your property yesterday, or whatever. We didn't know but it will never happen again. I'm just here to have lunch with my sister."

"Your sister?"

I rolled my eyes. "Lou."

"Ah," he said, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. "So _you're _the sister."

"You—" I bit my tongue. "You know what? I think I'll just go and find my sister now."

He stepped in front of me, cutting off my escape. I narrowed my eyes at him before remembering that I was wearing sunglasses. I figured the meaning of my stare was clear enough though.

He didn't move out of my way.

I sighed in frustration and put my hands on my hips. This man may have been the best looking member of the opposite sex I had ever seen but he was getting on my nerves. And I was many things but a patient person.

"Excuse me," I said, gesturing for him to move.

"Nuh uh," he shook his head, the dark hair flopping over his ears moving back and forth. "You can't order me around like you can everyone else."

"That seems to be the only thing you think I'm capable of doing."

He shrugged. "We all have different talents."

My face flushed at his accusations. He had no idea what he was talking about! He didn't know me. He didn't know anything about me. What gave him to right to talk to me like this?

"I really have to go," I said and brushed past him.

I could hear him laughing behind me as I strode swiftly back down the pathway.

"Do you always run when things start getting difficult?"

I stopped and fought the urge to turn around to face him. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. "I'm not running," I said as calmly as I could. "I'm going to go have lunch with my sister."

His feet slowly crunched over the gravel towards me. "I think you're running."

"I'm not running," I said again, my voice rising a little in pitch as I stressed my point. Or _tried _to stress my point.

"You know," he said, leaning back against the barn wall and gazing coolly at me from under the frayed brim of that maroon hat, "I'm beginning to wonder who you're trying to convince of that fact. Me, or yourself."

I stared at him with my mouth gaping opening for a moment. My mother would not have been pleased with behavior, but there was really nothing else I could do. This man was absolutely infuriating, and I didn't even know his name!

"You are absolutely infuriating!" I couldn't help voicing my opinions. Really I couldn't.

He just chuckled, infuriating me even more. "Don't worry, no offense taken. And as much as I'd love to stay and chat with you some more, I've got work to do. Maybe I'll see you in the woods sometime soon?"

I stared at him, aghast, and he actually had the audacity to wink—_wink!_—at me before swaggering off.

"I see you met Ty."

I spun around to be met with a smiling and very chipper Lou. I was glad she couldn't see the expression behind my sunglasses.

"Who?" I finally managed to ask.

She gestured down the gravel walkway towards the end of the stable block where the man I had hoped to never see again was currently dumping a loaded pitchfork into an overflowing wheelbarrow.

"Ty. I thought I saw you guys talking…?" Lou glanced down at me curiously.

"Oh," I said stupidly. Of course, I'd never actually gotten around to asking his name. "Yeah, right. Ty. We did talk."

Lou smiled. "Oh that's wonderful. Ty's a great kid. There's no one better to give you a warm welcome to Heartland."

_Ty_ glanced up from his work—I wouldn't have been surprised if he could hear Lou singing his praises. Lou waved merrily. I lifted a handed in vague greeting. He grinned broadly, tapped his fingers against the brim of his hat, swung his pitchfork over his shoulder and sauntered back into the stall.

"So are you ready to go to lunch now?"

I looked up into Lou's eager face. For some reason, she really did seem like she wanted to spend time with me.

"Yeah, let's go," I said with a bright smile and as much enthusiasm as I could muster up.

I just wanted this whole day to be over so I could go back to Rising Pines and find whatever little bit of solitude I could there. But I had a feeling this was going to be long day.

**AN: **see? Ty's no creeper! Just a bit of a cocky bastard, but a lovable one, promise. Next chapter: Amy's lunch with Lou and depending how long they chat for a few surprises! Review!! -Steph


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